Research is an ORGANISED and SYSTEMATIC way of FINDING ANSWERS to QUESTIONS.

SYSTEMATIC because there is a definite set of procedures and steps which you follow. There are certain things in the research process, which are always done in order to get the most accurate results. ORAGNISED in that there is a structure or a method in going about doing research. It is a planned procedure, not a spontaneous one. It is focused and limited to a specific scope. FINDING ANSWERS is the end of all research. Whether it is the answer to a hypotheses or even a simple question, research is successful when we find answers. Sometimes the answer is no, but is still an answer. QUESTIONS are central to research. If there is no question, then the answer is of no use. Research is focused on relevant, useful and important questions. Without a question, research has no focus, drive or purpose. So Research simply means a search for facts – answer to questions and solutions to problems. It is a purposive investigation.

• Descriptive-To discover facts or describe reality.
• Explanatory-To determine why and how something occurred. • Prediction-To make projections about what may occur in the future. • Evaluation-To assess the worth of something
• Needs Assessment-To assess the need for services
• Social work research is the application of research methods to the production of knowledge that social workers need to solve problems they confront in the practice of social work.

Social Sciences are mainly divided into natural sciences and social science. Social sciences include various disciplines dealing with human life, human behaviour, social groups and social institutions. Social sciences research is a systematic method of exploring, analyzing and conceptualizing human life in order to extend, correct or verify knowledge of human behaviour and social life. It is mainly with the objective of discovering new facts or verifies and test old facts, understands the human behavior and its interaction with the government and social institutions and to find out casual connection between human activities and natural laws governing them.

STEPS IN RESEARCH

The task of research is a sequential process involving a number of clearly delineated steps. A general Model of a Research Process is shown below and the detailed description of each o the steps are followed further. A research process consist of the following steps:

1. Identification and Selection of a Research Problem 2. Review of Literature: Preliminary review prior to problem selection; Systematic review prior to problem selection; Systematic review after selection; Notes taking. 3. Formulation of the selected problem: definition of the problem; conceptual mode, delimitation of the study, formulation of the objectives of the study and the hypotheses/investigating questions. 4. Operationalisation of Concepts: Definition of concepts, construction of indexes/scales for measuring variables. 5. Preparation of the research plan; Statement of the problem, objectives of the study, hypotheses, operational definition of the concepts, Geographical area of the study, methodology (type of research and methods of collection of data), sampling design, tools for collection of data, plan of analysis, overview of the research report, time-schedule. 6. Construction of tools of data Collection

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...Unit II
RESEARCH PROCESS
Steps Involved In Research Process
1. Formulating the research problem: There are two types of research problems,
viz., those which relate to states of nature and those which-relate to relationships
between variables. At the very outset the researcher must single out the problem
he wants to study, i.e., he must decide the general area of interest or aspect of a
subject-matter that he would like to inquire into.
2. Extensive literature survey: Once the problem in formulated, a brief summary of
it should be written down. It is compulsory for a research worker writing a thesis
for a Ph.D degree to write a synopsis of the topic and submit it to the necessary
Committee or the Research Board for approval. At this juncture the researcher
should undertake extensive literature survey connected with the problem. For this
purpose, the abstracting and indexing journals and published or unpublished
bibliographies are the first place to go to. Academic journals, conference
proceedings, government reports, books etc., must be tapped depending on the
nature of the problem.
3. Development of working hypotheses: After extensive literature survey,
researcher should state in clear terms the working hypothesis or hypotheses.
Working hypothesis is tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its
logical or empirical consequences. As such the manner in which...

...least three approaches or theories evaluate the usefulness of conducting comparative policy research.
The comparative approach to the study of social life has a long tradition dating back to Ancient Greece. In the social sciences comparative research is widely employed to describe the studies of societies, cultures, institutions etc. and changes over time and space, when they are carried out with the intention of using the same research tool to compare systematically the manifestations of the phenomena in more than one temporal or spatial sociocultural setting (Hantrais 2009). Policy research however is seen as a special type of research that can provide community and decision-makers with useful recommendation and possible actions for resolving fundamental problems. Policy research has recently gained much attention as government and international organisations are recognising the important role that research can play in policy development. Policy research is done by a number of different institutions and persons including but not limited to academics, lobby groups, pressure groups. The methods of investigation employed by the investigators must be based on the nature of the research area and the questions being asked. Three approaches of comparative research are studies, Surveys and the review of existing research will...

...for MIS research using survey.
The first part of the paper defines survey research and discuss its application.
Difference between survey and survey research
In general, a survey is a means of gathering information about one or many certain characteristics, or opinion of a population.
A survey research is conducted to advance scientific knowledge ⇒ for research purpose
Characteristics:
Produce quantitative results. The subjects may be individuals, groups, organization, or also may be projects, applications…
The main way of collecting information is by asking people structured and predefined questions
The sample is large enough to allow extensive statistical analyses
Application
In order to best understand the application of survey method, we compare survey research with 2 other dominant methods in MIS: case studies and lab experiments.
Case studies involve the examination of a phenomenon in its natural setting. The researcher has no control over the phenomenon, but can control the scope and time of the examination
May not have clearly dependent and independent variables
Most appropriate when the researcher is interested in the relation between context and the phenomenon of interest.
Lab experiments involve examination of a phenomenon in a controlled settting.
Researcher manipulates the independent variables and see the effects on the dependent variables
Most...

...Preparing to Conduct Business Research: Part 3
RES/351
Feasibility of Non Bulk Items at Costco – Part 1
Costco is the greatest wholesale mega store in today’s market opening its first store in 1983 in Seattle, Washington. Its mission statement is "Costco's mission is to continually provide our members with quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices. In order to achieve our mission we will conduct our business with the following Code of Ethics in mind: Obey the law, Take care of our members, Take care of our employees, and Respect our vendors. If we do these four things throughout our organization, then we will realize our ultimate goal, which is to reward our shareholders."
Today Costco has 622 stores worldwide with stores in Europe, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and of course the United States. Costco’s trademark brand of sales of its product is in bulk. So it has only one or two choices of each item in each category because research has shown too many items in each category can confuse customers and they may not make a purchase. Feedback from customers has shown their chief complaint is not being able to buy more items individually.
The problem facing Costco these days is complaints by customers that they want some items sold individually because some customers don’t want to buy four bottles of ketchup at once. The research questions for Costco are will it provide items...

...﻿Importance of motivation for sales people in insurance business in Bangladesh
Nazim Uddin Khan
1. Introduction
The current research is undertaken as a research project in the M.Phil program at the Department of Marketing of Jahangirnagar University. The study is carried out to find out the importance of motivation for sales people in insurance business in Bangladesh.
2. Background of the study
The market of Bangladesh is familiar with insurance business since 1971. In our country there are …… insurance companies are operating their business. In this business, sales persons play the biggest role, which is to convince the people for making insurance contracts in their company. For this reason, sales persons have to try and do the best performance to increase the sales of the company as well as their commission. Most employees do this, but some do not. Why? Because, they are not motivated. Motivation is the process to convince someone or making someone to do any job by him/herself. Motivation has a great impact in business. It makes employees willing to do their job perfectly. We need to point out the impact of motivation for sales person.
3. Objective of the study
The purpose of the study is to find out the importance of motivation for sales people in insurance business in Bangladesh. Specially, the research should provide information to the following questions:
I. Is the sales volume decreasing day by day because of...

...﻿Experimental research
Experimental research is commonly used in sciences such as sociology and psychology, physics, chemistry, biology and medicine etc.
Experimental research tests a hypothesis and establishes causation by using independent and dependent variables in a controlled environment.
KEY POINTS
Experiments are generally the most precise studies and have the most conclusive power. They are particularly effective in supporting hypotheses about cause and effect relationships. However, since the conditions are artificial, they may not apply to everyday situations.
A well designed experiment has features that control random variables to make sure that the effect measured is caused by the independent variable being manipulated. These features include random assignment, use of a control group, and use of a single or double-blind design.
An experimenter decides how to manipulate the independent variable, but only measures the dependent variable. In a good experiment, only the independent variable will affect the dependent variable.
TERMS
random assignment
Random assignment of subjects to experimental and control conditions is a process used to evenly distribute the individual qualities of the participants across the conditions.
dependent variable
The aspect or subject of an experiment that is influenced by the manipulated aspect; an outcome measured to see the effectiveness of the treatment
independent variable
The...

...﻿ LITERATURE REVIEW ON RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
Research Methodology vs Research Methods
Methodology and methods are two terms which have been used interchangeably often by scholars. The practice is unfortunate because they are not the same. The former refers to philosophy and the latter refers to technical procedures applied to conduct research. The word methodology comprises two nouns: method and ology, which means a branch of knowledge; hence, methodology is a branch of knowledge that deals with the general principles or axioms of the generation of new knowledge. It refers to the rationale and the philosophical assumptions that underlie any natural, social or human science study, whether articulated or not. Simply put, methodology refers to how each of logic, reality, values and what counts as knowledge inform research. On the other hand, methods are the techniques and procedures followed to conduct research, and are determined by the methodology (i.e. sampling, data collection, data analysis and results reporting, as well as theories, conceptual frameworks, taxonomies and models). Even the focus and intent of the research, and the actual research questions themselves, are shaped by the methodology (McGregor, 2010). In methodology we study the various steps that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying his research problem...